Showing Archived Posts

The second in a series looking at U.S. life and culture through its idioms. View previous entries. Dodged the bullet (or dodged a bullet) – Got lucky, avoided a bad outcome I remember being horrified by the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, empathizing with the Louisiana inhabitants in Katrina’s aftermath, and being shocked by the images […]

Editor’s note: Paula is an English as a Foreign Language teacher by training, so she’ll be sharing her experience in the U.S. through the phrases she’s learning, and the valuable words that describe her feelings and experiences. So check back regularly for Paula’s special series, “The U.S. in Words.” And don’t forget, if you’re looking […]

A slightly lighter week this week, but still some good events looking at business school admissions, community college options, and summer programs. Plus, the ETS is offering free GRE prep courses. More details here: http://www.takethegre.com/free-gre-prep-series As always, if you attend any of these events, report back and let us know what you learned! (Use the comments, […]

In response to Sunny’s observation that American professors expect you to be very explicit in your writing, and that you must fully explain all of your assumptions and arguments (she says her TA advised her to “treat the professors like idiots” in her essays), commenter Dana suggests: It is precisely because they *do* apply critical […]

When I received my admission letter to Mount Holyoke College, I also received a set of documents outlining my financial aid package: a big grant, a much smaller loan, and earnings from my future work on campus. I had expected loans and grants, but didn’t know much about how on-campus work would help fund my […]

Before coming to the U.S., I went to college in Iraq. For four years, I was in classes five days a week from 8 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. I have no clue how my brain is still intact and functioning after that. I’m not going to attack that style of education, […]

I will never forget my very first conversation with an American. He was an employee at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. I was a new arrival, highly exhausted after almost 20 hours of flight. Upon landing I found myself overwhelmed by homesickness, and very badly wanted to find a telephone to call my parents. I […]

“I realized that whatever I said and whatever I did, I was helping create my classmates’ perception of what an Afghan person is,” wrote Abuzar last week of his experience studying at a U.S. high school. He worked hard every second to “introduce Afghanistan through the eyes of my generation, a generation tired of the […]

This coming week is packed with events for anyone who wants to study in the U.S., including a virtual college fair and a fair for biomedical programs, plus information on English programs, engineering and architecture programs, and business programs. As always, if you attend any of these events, report back and let us know what […]

“Hey, who are you?” The straightforward question came to me in my first day as a high school student in America. I was about to begin the biography-like chronicle of my life, as I would when I was back in Afghanistan, when it hit me. Who was I, indeed? It was then that I truly […]

I remember the very day I received the letter that I had been accepted as an undergraduate student at Johnson & Wales University. I had big dreams and aspirations about what I was going to become upon graduation from one of the best hospitality schools in the United States. I envisioned myself becoming a successful […]

Over on the University of Virginia’s admissions blog, Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Jeannine Lalonde got fed up with the misinformation she was seeing on forums and message boards about how many recommendation letters to submit to a college. She struck back with this bit of valuable information about how the admissions office uses recommendations: […]

Being raised with Eastern roots, I have gotten used to a lot of things growing up. I can’t eat a full meal without rice, I can’t sleep without a bolster pillow, and I can’t imagine living without my parents. Even at the age of 21, when “leaving the nest” is normal in some cultures, in […]

When I first joined the Student Union, I quickly discovered that most of my fellow bloggers, and indeed most of our readers, were students from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, not from Western Europe like me, and certainly not from England. At first I thought this might be a problem. Do I really deserve […]

October is turning out to be a pretty great month for anyone looking to attend a webinar or online event about studying in the U.S. This coming week we’ve found events for prospective undergrads, grads, MBAs and law students, plus a virtual grad school fair, so check them out. As always, if you attend any […]

Glossary of Confusing Words

All the words were submitted by YOU, so visit the glossary to see the words that have been defined already and to suggest your own.

Resources

EducationUSA
A global network of more than 400 advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State

Fulbright
The U.S. government’s “flagship” program sponsoring international exchanges. The program offers grants for students, scholars and professionals. About 8,000 Fulbright grants are awarded each year

Study in the U.S. – USA.gov
USA.gov is the U.S. government’s official site for information and services. This page has a list of links to important information for international students coming to the U.S.

Visas – U.S. State Department
The official visa information source for the U.S. Includes a specific section on F, M and J visas, the visas used for study and exchange programs